Ngezi Platinum Stars defender Partson Jaure says he is delighted to be back in the Warriors fold after damaging reports of alleged match-fixing had appeared to have ended his international football career with the Zimbabwe Warriors.
BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA
The former Dynamos and Pretoria University player marked his return to the Warriors on Sunday and skippered the team in a drab 0-0 draw against Zambia at the National Sports Stadium.
This followed the appointment of Norman Mapeza as interim coach for the Warriors, who immediately recalled the steady defender. An emotional Jaure enthused on his return to the international forward.
“I am really happy to be back in the team. I had endured so much stress after those allegations of match-fixing. To be frank, I was shocked where all this was coming from,” Jaure said yesterday.
“There was not even a phone call to me to say these are the allegations. It really affected me psychologically and I lost good opportunities during those trying times. There was an option for me to go to Supersport and because of these allegations, the deal failed to materialise. I was in South Africa then playing for Pretoria University. My team supported me during all this and the chief executive told me to be calm and that God would intervene. I want to thank him and all the people who supported me during all this. Now I am here, it’s a good feeling,” he added.
The Warriors were without any of their foreign-based players on Sunday after Orlando Pirates striker Tendai Ndoro and Maritzburg United striker Mathew Rusike failed to show up for the match due to varying reasons, while Zambia had their captain Kennedy Mweene, who is based in South Africa, as the only foreign-based player.
Jaure captained the home-based Warriors at the African Nations Championships (Chan) in South Africa in 2014, with his troops going as far as the semi-final for the first time since the inauguration of the tournament designed exclusively for locally-based players.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
After the draw against Zambia, Jaure expressed hope the team would do well in the upcoming Chan tournament.
“I think the team played well considering that it’s still off-season. The team can get better with time,” said Jaure.
Following the relegation of his South African club, Jaure was offloaded having played for them for just two seasons. He decided to return home where he reunited with his former coach Tonderai Ndiraya.
Jaure said he chose not to go back to Dynamos as he needed to relaunch his career away from the pressure that comes with playing for the biggest club in the country.
He has gone about his business well so far since his return and will be hoping for more call-ups when the Warriors engage in competitive matches in the Chan and Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
